Can i wear insect repellent when pregnant

That means making sure there are screens on open doors and windows; wearing long sleeves, socks, and pants outside; and using insect repellent once mosquito season gets under way. Because the highest dose was orders of magnitude higher than the normal human dose, researchers wrote in a paper for the Canadian Medical Association Journal in , it appears that DEET is safe when used as recommended.

You can check the EPA database here. Shirts and pants treated with the insect-repellent permethrin are also considered safe. Permethrin is also the active ingredient in many shampoos used to treat lice; and the U.

Army has treated its combat uniforms with the chemical since Those who want to be particularly cautious could opt for insect repellent with lower concentrations of chemicals, which would have to be reapplied more often. However, if you would like to, you can change your cookie settings at any time. UKTIS has been providing scientific information to health care providers since on the effects that medicines, recreational drugs and chemicals may have on the developing baby during pregnancy.

Insect repellents contain chemicals to keep biting insects away and are applied to clothes, exposed skin, and bed nets. Where possible, pregnant women should avoid areas where there is a high risk of an insect bite causing a serious infection such as Zika virus, malaria transmitted by mosquitos or Lyme disease transmitted by ticks - be aware that ticks are most commonly found in forest fringes, forest glades, riverside meadows and marshland, and forest plantations with brushwood and shrubbery.

If this is not possible, use of chemical insect repellents during pregnancy is advised. Other non-chemical methods to reduce the chance of being bitten e. It is particularly important to avoid becoming infected with malaria, Zika virus or Lyme disease when pregnant.

The risks to you and your baby from these illnesses are likely to be far greater than any risk from using a chemical insect repellent in pregnancy. Although Zika virus usually causes a relatively mild illness in individuals who are infected through a mosquito bite, it can cause potentially severe brain abnormalities in unborn babies of some women who are infected during pregnancy.

Please refer to our bump on Zika virus which contains more detailed information and advice. Pregnant women spending time outdoors in areas where there is a risk of Lyme disease from tick bites may also wish to use DEET. A very small number of studies have examined DEET use during pregnancy. It is also recommended that insect repellents are washed off once you are no longer at risk of being bitten.

No link between DEET use in pregnancy and having a baby with a birth defect is known about; however no scientific studies have specifically investigated this. One study suggested that hypospadias where the opening on the penis is on the underside rather than at the tip was more common in male babies born to mothers who had used various different insect repellents during early pregnancy.

Although some women in this study had used DEET, these women were not analysed separately. This study does not show that hypospadias is caused by DEET. More research is ideally required to confirm these findings.

When applying insect repellents during breastfeeding, follow the same instructions as during pregnancy. Do not apply insect repellents to the nipple area to keep the child from getting any repellent in the mouth while breastfeeding. Wash your hands well after applying insect repellent. I use insect repellents.

Can it make it harder for me to get my partner pregnant or increase the chance for birth defects? An increased chance of birth defects or pregnancy complications is not expected when a father or sperm donor uses insect repellents. Not all repellents have been studied for these outcomes. In general, exposures that fathers or sperm donors have are unlikely to increase risks to a pregnancy.

Please click here for references. Media Inquiries Skip to primary navigation Skip to main content Skip to footer. What are insect repellents? Picaridin protects against flying insects, ticks and chiggers. IR may work best against midges and biting flies. PMD is the lab-made form of an ingredient in oil of lemon eucalyptus.

What is the best way for me to use insect repellents? Use insect repellents only when needed. Wash them off with soap and water when you are no longer exposed to insects.